My Guardian, My Protector
by AnimationNut
Summary: When Ariel saves Sebastian from Marina's attack, it is not without paying a price. She wakes up with amnesia, and remembers very little. The only sea creature she remembers, however vaguely, is Sebastian. As she works her way in piecing her memories back together, it is with the support of her childhood protector and constant companion.
1. Turn of Events

**I do not own the Little Mermaid franchise.**

**The events of this story take place directly after Ariel gets smacked by Marina in **_**Ariel's Beginning. **_**After that, I take creative liberties on what happened afterwards. I know nothing about amnesia and am also taking creative liberties with that.**

**The updates on this will be slow. Fair warning. But I hope you enjoy the first chapter.**

**Turn of Events**

"Woo-hoo!"

This was the delighted shout that tore from seven throats after Flounder had successfully tricked Marina's nasty electric eels into tying themselves into one giant knot. The eels shrieked in fury, twisting madly in an attempt to escape their entrapment. But all they succeeded in doing was knocking their heads together. They were stuck tight, and would not be free unless another sea creature untied them.

The little guppy beamed with pride as he swam alongside the band that used to perform at the now-defunct Catfish Club. Ray-Ray rubbed Flounder's head affectionately as they all began to swim away, relieved that the entire ordeal was over with. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."

Ariel grinned and studied the blue and gold music seashell that rested securely in her hands. It was a long shot, she knew, believing that this little trinket would compel her father to restore music-and therefore happiness-back to Atlantica. But Sebastian had faith that the memories the musical item held would do the trick, and the crustacean was hardly ever wrong on such matters, especially when they related to the King of Atlantica.

The fifteen-year-old mermaid turned to smile at Sebastian and froze. Perched precariously on the ledge of a sea cliff was Marina, still trapped within the tube of sea coral Sebastian had manipulated her into. It was obvious what the jealous ex-governess was going to do, and Ariel was the only one who noticed.

With the speed Marina would get when speeding down the slope, there was no way Sebastian would be able to get out of the way in time-or survive the impact.

Her fins flapped just as Marina wiggled herself over the edge. _"No!" _Ariel cried in panic, swimming as fast as she could.

Her panicked cry caught the attention of Flounder, Ray-Ray, Cheeks, Ink-Spot and Shelbow. They turned to see what was wrong-only to find Ariel speeding to intercept the oncoming projectile. "Look out!" Flounder cried in terror.

Confused, Sebastian cast a glance over his shell to that he was seconds away from becoming a red splatter on the sea floor.

At least, he would have been, if Ariel had not slammed herself into Marina a mere second before she would have struck Sebastian.

The teenager let out a grunt of pain, spiralling through the water for a moment before her head slammed off of the rocky ledge. She drifted down the gorge, limp and unmoving.

"Ariel!"

As they were swimming to assist the redhead, the group glanced up to see King Triton racing towards his fallen daughter, anguish written across his age-worn face.

They all swam to the bottom of the gorge, where Ariel lay. A gash was visible on the side of her head, the blood slowly oozing from the injury and staining the water red. Triton moaned in fear and bent over Ariel, his fingers feeling for a pulse.

"Is she…?" Flounder squeaked, tears already filling his eyes. He was unable to finish his question, but the king knew what he meant. Triton shook his head, taking a shuddering breath of relief when he felt the soft thumps of Ariel's heart.

"We need to get her a healer immediately," Triton ordered, scooping the redhead into his arms. Ariel's arms jostled slightly, her grip on the music seashell loosening. Triton froze as the familiar blue trinket dropped to the sand, rolling slightly before settling.

"Ya heard de King!" Sebastian barked when the others seemed reluctant to move. "You're gonna get Healer Sherman now!"

His sharp command startled the band members and Flounder into action. They hastily swam in the direction of Atlantica, hoping that they would not arrive too late.

Sebastian hurried over to where Triton was hovering with Ariel in his arms. One hand was pressed over her wound, but his eyes were locked on the musical seashell, which was softly playing the song of him and his deceased wife.

"Oh, Sebastian," Triton whispered. "What have I done?"

"It's not your fault, your Majesty. It was Marina's doin'."

Triton's gaze hardened and he glared towards the lip of the gorge. "Where is the traitor?! She will not see another ray of sunlight hitting the waves of my sea!"

"She's still here," Sebastian soothed. "Still stuck in de coral tube." At the very picture of his long-time enemy stuck like a fish in a net, he had to resist the urge to snicker.

"I never thought she would do something like this," Triton whispered, caressing his daughter's face tenderly. "I knew she always wanted a promotion, but...I never thought she do such a wicked thing to get it. She will pay dearly for such an act of treason. Of that I give my solemn oath."

Face hard, Triton swam up and started towards Atlantic, cradling Ariel carefully in his arms, a hand still pressed against the bleeding wound. Sebastian rolled the musical seashell behind a cluster of rocks, shutting the lid so that the music was silenced. It would not do if the sentimental item was stolen during their absence-it was too important to be sold for any other valuable sea treasure.

Sebastian swam after Triton, his eyes darting about. He did not see where Marina had gone, but he knew she was around somewhere, trapped within a coral prison. The crustacean scowled darkly. _If Ariel does not survive this, Marina, then you will pay for our loss with your own life. Of that, I _will _make sure._

…

They met Healer Sherman halfway to Atlantica along with the others. The elderly healer, toting a small black satchel, instantly got to work. Using a piece of cloth he wiped Ariel's wound and cleaned it out before tightly applying strands of kelp to protect the wound from infection.

"The girl has lost a bit of blood," Sherman informed. "But not so much that she will not survive. She will be unconscious for a day or two, but if it is any longer than that…"

…_then she will not wake up at all, and if so, then not without considerable damage done to her brain._

It was unsaid, but everyone still heard it. Emotionally spent, Triton softly thanked the healer and they all finished the journey back home in silence. When they reached Atlantica, the band members cast a sad glance at Ariel before swimming dejectedly away. Flounder hesitantly followed, wanting to stay with his best friend but knew that her family needed some alone time to be by her side.

Ariel's six sisters were crowded in the throne room, having seen their father arrive from their chamber and hurried to meet him. They were worried upon seeing their youngest sister in Triton's arms, and they discovered that their worry was rightly placed.

Unable to speak, they could only watch in horror as their father swam sadly past with Ariel, his own silence deafening.

Sebastian lingered, for he knew that the princesses' stunned stupor would only last for a second more. Sure enough, when Triton disappeared down the coral corridor, the six mermaids whirled around with tear-filled eyes and fearful expressions.

"What happened?" Arista wailed.

"Will she be okay?" Alana asked desperately.

"Where did you guys go?" Aquata questioned.

"Never mind that, _what _did you guys do?" Andrina cried.

"Does this have something to do with Marina?" Attina demanded.

The questions kept coming at a rapid fire pace. Sebastian allowed the barrage to continue for a moment longer before letting out a sharp whistle. Silence instantly fell and six pairs of eyes turned shamefully to the red crustacean.

"Sorry, Sebastian," Attina apologized softly. "That was very rude of us, to-"

Sebastian cut her off with a wave of his claw. "Girl, ya have nothin' ta apologize for and ya know it. I'll answer your questions, but ya have ta _promise _not ta interrupt. It's a long story."

The six mermaids complied, settling down on the throne room's sea floor. Sebastian hovered just above them, his gaze serious.

He went through the story, starting from when Ariel came to break him out of prison and ending with his attempted murder at the gorge. The girls were once again stunned into silence, hardly able to fathom that the mermaid who had taken care of them for most of their childhood had tried to kill someone they loved dearly.

"That's horrible!" Alana whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks. "How could she _do _such a thing?"

Attina rubbed her shoulder soothingly. "She'll get hers, Father will see to it. And Ariel will be just fine."

As confident as Attina tried to sound, the terrified look in her eyes gave away her true feelings. Adella looked up at Sebastian with wide eyes. "Sebastian? Will Ariel _really _be okay?"

Adella knew that Attina would say what was needed to soothe her sisters but Sebastian was simply not that kind of sea creature. He had always been honest, blunt and to the point-and those traits had never failed to set them straight.

"Ari-elle…will be fine, so long as she wakes up in two days' time," Sebastian answered honestly.

"What are we supposed to do if she doesn't?" Alana asked worriedly.

"We need ta have faith dat it won't come ta dat. And I t'ink dat Ari-elle will wake up."

"How do you know?" Adella asked, a note of hope to her voice.

For the first time since Ariel's accident, Sebastian smiled.

"Girls, your sister is de most stubborn creature in all de ocean. She's a fighter, always has been, always will be. Dat is how I know she'll be fine."

Those words soothed them, Sebastian could see it as their faces filled with hope. "Yeah, you're right!" Arista brightened.

"Do you think we could go check on her?" Aquata questioned.

"Ya don't need ta ask me, child."

The six mermaids swam up and hurried towards their chambers, where their father was most likely watching over their injured little sister.

Sebastian was right. They could only have faith.

They just hoped that their faith and Ariel's fighting spirit was enough to save her.


	2. She Wakes

**I do not own the Little Mermaid franchise.**

**She Wakes**

Night came and Ariel still showed no signs of waking up, though her breathing was regular and the gash had stopped bleeding quite a while ago. Triton stayed by his youngest daughter's side, often occupied by his eldest. The other mermaids, despite their worry, had succumbed to sleep and were snoring softly in their sea-beds.

Attina stared sadly at Ariel, who looked so weak and vulnerable. It was difficult to see the redhead in such a state, especially since Ariel had always been the most stubborn, tough and headstrong of the seven princesses.

"Father?" Attina said softly, glancing up at the man, who was sitting on the other side of Ariel's bed.

"Yes?" Triton responded, his voice just above a whisper.

"You…you don't have to worry. Ariel is going to be fine."

Surprised by these rather confident words, Triton lifted his head to meet the earnest gaze of Attina. "What makes you say that?"

"Sebastian said so," Attina said matter-of-factly. "And Sebastian wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."

"Yes…" Triton said slowly. "I suppose so."

Attina's words were an attempt to cheer him up and he truly appreciated her effort. But he was once again reminded of the grief that continued to plague him, the grief that had controlled his life, his decisions, and it was his inability to move on in life that sent Ariel away.

Despite his initial reaction, he would admit that it was not surprising that Ariel would run away and free her imprisoned friends. The girl had always been devoted, always loyal-especially to the crustacean who had looked after her in her tender years after the death of Athena.

"Attina…I hope you can forgive me."

Frowning in confusion, Attina tilted her head to the side. "For what, Father?"

"For being so distant all these years. For shutting myself away, trapped in grief. For leaving you to be the sole shoulder of comfort for your sisters. I had neglected you. I will never be able to take away the sadness I had brought upon my kingdom." Triton closed his eyes to halt the tears of anguish that threatened to spill over. "Your mother would have been so disappointed in me."

Attina opened her mouth to say that he had nothing to apologize for. Then she remembered the night at the Catfish Club, the night where Ariel had brought true joy back into their lives. Joy that had almost immediately been shut down by her father, who couldn't bear to be reminded of any memory of Athena, who had loved music so much.

While she understood her father's pain and certainly shared it to a certain extent, she had not allowed the despair and grief to consume her. As much as she wanted to say that he had nothing to apologize for, it wasn't true.

"Father, I know Mom's death was hard on you. It was hard on all of us," Attina started slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I know why you retreated into yourself, I do. And I forgive you for it, and I know Mom does too. But…"

Triton waited patiently as Attina gathered the courage to say what she wanted to say next. Taking a deep breath, the eldest princess blurted it out.

"Father, please reconsider your ban on music. You just have to remember the good times you and Mom had, how much you loved music."

"I don't know if I can," Triton said honestly.

"When we went to the Catfish Club…I've never seen Ariel so happy," Attina whispered, staring at her sister. "It was the first time in a while where I've seen her smile."

Triton could not speak, his throat clogged with emotion. He remembered the devastated look on Ariel's face when she discovered that the Catfish Club would be permanently shut down and that those who had been caught were in prison.

Then there had been anger, an anger that was close to turning into pure hatred, in her eyes as she furiously shouted at him before swimming away. It was a look that nearly broke him, a look he never wanted to see from Ariel again.

"I will think about it," Triton said softly, turning an intent gaze to his daughter.

Attina nodded, a small bubble of hope rising in her chest.

Maybe everything would turn out all right after all.

…

Morning had arrived and with the first rays of sun on the water came the Captain of the Royal Guard. He informed Triton that his men had found and had secured Marina, and they were currently on their way to Atlantica.

Torn between confronting Marina and continuing his watch over Ariel, it had taken both Sebastian and Attina to convince him to go. Sebastian would take care of the morning royal duties while the six princesses kept an eye on their sister.

"Oh, I hope she wakes up soon!" Arista said, wringing her hands together.

"We need to be patient," Alana said, gently running her fingers through Ariel's long red hair. "Ariel needs to wake up on her own accord. We can't force it."

"Shouldn't the healer stay with Ariel?" Andrina asked hesitantly. "I mean, just in case."

"Ariel is not the only patient Healer Sherman needs to attend to," Attina chided. "We may be royalty, but that doesn't mean we can use our power selfishly to hog Healer Sherman's services."

Her sisters grumbled in agreement. They were all crowded around Ariel's bed, keeping anxious eyes out for signs of stirring.

"Where's Dad?" Aquata questioned, as she had still been asleep when the news of Marina's arrest reached the palace.

"He went out to get _Marina_," Attina spat out the word as if it were poison.

"I never liked her." Aquata scowled.

"Yeah!" Alana agreed. "I don't get why Dad even hired her in the first place. Sebastian is a great caretaker! We never needed that seawitch."

"No, but Sebastian did, even if he won't admit it," Attina informed. As the oldest, she remembered most of the events that occurred after the passing of Athena, one of which was Sebastian's immediate position as their caretaker.

For five years the crustacean had balanced his caretaker duties and his duties to the king. After a while, the constant amount of work stressed him out significantly, to the point where it was visible in his appearance. But he hadn't complained, and it was Triton's concern for his most loyal and trusted assistant's health that caused the eventual hiring of Marina Del Ray.

"What's past is past," Adella sighed. "We just have to deal and hope for the best."

A few hours passed and Triton had arrived back at the palace. Despite sea-court laws, Marina was not given a trial, for he had explicitly seen her attempt to murder Sebastian and the crustacean had given a full report on the ordeal, leaving Marina with absolutely no way to avoid a prison sentence.

"Still nothing?" Triton asked, coming to float behind Arista.

"Nothing, Dad," Arista confirmed with a heavy sigh. "But it is still early. Maybe after a little more time-"

She cut herself off when she heard a small moan come from Ariel. Eyes wide with hope, everyone stilled and watched Ariel eagerly as she slowly wiggled about in her bed, eyes struggling to open.

Her crystal blue eyes finally opened and she stared at the surrounding mermaids and merman blankly for a moment.

Then she let out a terrified, ear-piercing scream.


	3. Lost Memories

**I do not own the Little Mermaid franchise.**

**Lost Memories**

"Ariel!" Attina cried, shivers of fear running down her spine as Ariel's scream echoed in her head, even though the redhead had stopped after that one outburst. "What's wrong?"

She reached out to lay a gentle hand on the redhead's shoulder. To her shock and concern, Ariel hastily backed away from the extending arm as much as she could. As she was surrounded by her family the farthest she could go was the coral wall, which she pressed against.

"Get away from me!" she yelped, swatting Attina's hand away. Her bright blue gaze was filled with confusion and fright as they darted between the seven merpeople gathered around her. Her head pounded with pain, but she tried to ignore it in order to attend to more urgent matters.

Like why she had been taken by complete strangers.

Her demand caused the six merprincesses and king to swim back in surprise. There was a venom in Ariel's voice, a venom they were not accustomed to. Triton eyed the bandages wrapped securely around his daughter's head and a sick feeling welled in the pit of his stomach. "Ariel," he asked carefully, "do you know who we are?"

His daughters turned to stare at him-six gazes were horrified and one was accusing. "The real question is," she said, managing to keep the tremble out of her voice, "how do _you _know _me_?"

"We're your family!" Andrina exclaimed, appalled by the very notion of her younger sister forgetting them.

"How dare you?!" Ariel cried. She flinched as her head gave a violent pound and whimpered softly. Attina attempted to reach for her again, but her dainty hand recoiled at the warning glower the redhead cast her. "You must think I'm stupid," she continued spitefully. "I'd know who my family is…"She trailed off as a sudden realization struck her.

She didn't actually know _who _her family was…in fact, she couldn't remember much of anything. Which meant that she shouldn't trust anyone until she sorted things out.

"Now what do you want with me?" Ariel finished shortly, hoping that she would get _some _answers as to why and how she ended up in such a grand bedroom.

"You must listen to us," Aquata pleaded. "You had an accident and hit your head. That's why-" her voice hitched, "-you don't remember us."

Ariel hesitated. Her answer did explain some things, but she was reluctant to fully believe the mergirl. She gingerly prodded her head, wincing upon feeling layers of kelp wrapped around her forehead. "How do I know you didn't do this to me?"

"We would never harm you, Ariel! Trust me," Triton vowed.

But Ariel felt the opposite. She studied the merman in front of her with a hard gaze. "I would never trust somebody I don't even know," she hissed.

Having enough, Ariel swam as fast as her fins would carry her. She would leave this place and figure things out herself. And if these merpeople happened to be telling the truth, then she would return and apologize accordingly.

The redhead had made it down one coral corridor before the others swam into action, chasing after the fifteen-year-old.

"Ariel!" Triton boomed. "Stop and we'll discuss this!"

"Dad, can't you use your trident on her?" Arista pleaded, noticing that her sister was outswimming them.

"This is a delicate situation, dear," he answered gravely. "Ariel has forgotten almost everything. We need to build new relationships with her until she regains her memory, and I don't want to start off on the wrong fin."

So they continued shouting, begging for Ariel to calm down and listen to them. But she was not having it. She continued flying through the corridors, looking for the perfect escape where they would have difficulty following her.

It quickly became apparent that she was in a palace, as beautiful decorations glinted in the water and the coral structure extended as far as the eye could see. Ariel thought back to the strange gold weapon the man had been holding-

_Trident._

The word flashed in her mind without warning and Ariel's eyes widened. The King…the King of Atlantica had a trident.

_So that's where I am! _Ariel thought, glancing behind her shoulder to ensure she wasn't in danger of being caught. She was well out of their reach, and if she twisted down a few more corridors she would lose them for good. _So they were lying! They're not my family…I'm not a princess. I definitely don't _feel _like a princess._

The next coral corridor approached and Ariel smiled triumphantly. One more turn and then she would be able to steal between the pillars and off to safety in the wide open sea.

"_Ariel!"_

"_Ariel, please stop!"_

"_Ari-elle!"_

It was the third shout, the one with her name coated in a thick Jamaican accent that stopped her in her tracks. Eager to see that her sister finally stopped, Adella moved forwards, only to have her father place a hand on her shoulder and hold her back, his head shaking lightly.

Their pleading had not gotten a single reaction out of Ariel. But Sebastian's sharp, stern command had halted the girl in an instant.

The crustacean was currently hovering in the entryway that led to the throne room. He had been alerted by the shouts and, upon investigating, found the redhead trying to make a break for it. "Ari-elle, what are ya doin'?" he demanded.

The pain in her head had increased tenfold and Ariel was feeling all the effects, now that the adrenaline had left her body. But she managed to turn around and stare at the crab glaring at her. The fear and anger that had filled her expression moments ago was replaced by puzzlement.

Sebastian cast a quick, questioning glance at the king. All Triton needed to do was mouth, _"Lost memory," _and he understood.

Sensing that his demanding tone had stirred something within the young mergirl, Sebastian ordered, "Girl, come ovah here dis instant!"

Ariel continued to stare. There was something about him that filled her with an odd sense of comfort. She did not feel uneasy around him as she had the others, which were currently crowded at the end of the corridor.

"Well?" Sebastian pressed. He crossed his claws and intensified his glare.

It was this posture, one that demanded a challenge that caused a spark to flash in her blue eyes. Ariel copied his posture and retorted, "Why should I? Why can't _you_ come _here_?"

His reaction was not of anger, like she expected. A short bark of amused laughter rumbled from Sebastian's lips and he shook his head. "I see ya haven't lost your mouth, girl."

A small, embarrassed smile curled across her lips before she could stop it. She glanced warily at the royal family before slowly swimming up to the crab.

Satisfied with her compliance, Sebastian gave the girl a smile, which was returned. "See now, ya have nothin' ta be afraid of." He reached up and gently smoothed out the seaweed bandages encasing her head. "Ya can't just swim off like dat. Ya need ta stay here and rest so dat injury doesn't get any worse."

"How am I supposed to know if I'm safe here?" Ariel asked suspiciously. But despite her doubting words, she made no move to get away from the crustacean.

Sebastian only shrugged. "Ya'll just have ta trust me, child."

It came as quite a surprise when she found that she _did _trust this stern, no-nonsense crab-quite a lot, in fact.


	4. Waiting

**I do not own the Little Mermaid franchise.**

**Waiting**

Sebastian sent the amnesiac to bed, and the redhead obeyed, skirting past the royal family with obvious discomfort, blue eyes locked to the ground. When she had disappeared around the corner, Attina whirled around. "How'd you do that?" she asked in wonder.

The crustacean shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, child."

"She responds to you," Triton said slowly, taking the time to wrap his mind around what had just happened. "She refused to even listen to us, but she remembers you."

"In some sense," added Aquata with a thoughtful expression. "She may not remember Sebastian entirely, but his voice and mannerisms definitely trigger something in her."

"Well, she _has _gotten in more trouble with him than all of us combined," joked Arista.

"It's not funny!" Attina snapped. She turned a fierce glare on her younger sister and the blonde held up her slim hands in surrender.

"Geez, relax, I didn't mean anything by it."

"I think we're all a bit shaken up," Triton interjected, rubbing the space between his eyes tiredly. "It is obvious that Ariel is…uneasy around us. So for the time being, let your interactions with her be short and gentle."

"She's our _sister_," Attina said, appalled by the very idea. "We can't leave her be! We need to help her through this!"

"You will not help her by being a constant presence that she does not want. You cannot take her behaviour personally. She is confused and will need time. You _will _give her that time."

Attina pursed her lips, but did not say anything further. As much as she wanted to argue, she knew it was disrespectful to argue with her father and her king.

Satisfied with the compliance of his daughters (for the time being, anyway) Triton turned a serious gaze to his right-hand crab. "Sebastian, you will be in charge of Ariel."

On any other occasion, the crustacean would have protested being assigned mermaid-sitter to the headstrong, stubborn, rebellious mergirl. But he understood that he was the only sea creature at the moment who could get a positive reaction out of the fifteen-year-old.

Sebastian bowed. "Of course, your Majesty. I will keep a watchful eye ovah her."

"I know you will." A small, appreciative smile worked its way across Triton's worn, aged face. "I will get some servants to set up the guest quarters. She can stay there until she is comfortable rejoining her sisters."

Sebastian nodded and swam off to check on Ariel, while Triton swam in the opposite direction to summon a few of his merservants. The six remaining mermaids floated in the corridor, silent for a moment.

"I don't get it," Alana finally voiced. "She doesn't remember her own sisters and father, but she remembers _Sebastian_? The guy who's always yelling at her and giving her orders?"

"Apparently, she finds it comforting," Attina said bitterly, a foreign emotion welling up inside her chest that she couldn't quite identify. "And we're terrifying."

"Well…we never really spend that much time with her," Adella said hesitantly. "At least not in the way Sebastian has."

"True," agreed Arista. "Ariel tells him things that she wouldn't tell us in a million tides."

"But _why_?" Attina finally exploded. "We're her sisters, her family! We should be her confidants! The ones she trusts the most!"

"Why are you taking this to heart?" Arista asked in bafflement. "So she's more comfortable with Sebastian. It doesn't mean she hates us."

"From the way she reacted, it seems like she does." Attina scowled.

"Look, just don't worry about it," Adella attempted to comfort her older sister. "We need to focus on Ariel and helping her recover. If that means she doesn't want us around right now, then so be it. Yeah, it hurts. But it's what she needs."

The others agreed, and slowly made their way down the corridor. Attina floated still for a moment, eyes flickering in the direction of their quarters. Sudden tears pricked at her eyes, but she hastily wiped them away and followed her sisters.

_I'm sorry, Mother. I failed my duties as a big sister._

…

Ariel absent-mindedly fiddled with a stray piece of kelp, curled up in what was apparently her bed. She took in her surroundings over and over, but nothing seemed familiar, or even sparked a sense of familiarity within her.

Her headache had eased, now that she was calm and resting. With a soft, exhausted sigh, she sagged against the squishy sea sponge.

"Ya alright, Ari-elle?"

The redhead moved her head slightly to the side, watching as Sebastian floated into the quarters. A genuine smile curled across her pale face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Um…"

Guilt crossed her expression, and the crustacean knew she was trying to drag his name from the depths of her foggy memory. "Sebastian," he supplied.

The name seemed to strike something within her, and blue eyes brightened in happiness. "Sebastian! Thanks."

"Nothin' at all. Any time ya need somethin', just ask."

Ariel nodded. "What exactly happened to me?" she asked carefully, not certain if she wanted to know the answer or not.

"I could tell ya, but I don't know if ya will understand completely," Sebastian replied. "It's a long story, child. But I can assure ya, your fadder and your sisters were not de cause."

While that made Ariel feel a bit better, she still wasn't entirely comfortable with the royal family, at least not in the way she was comfortable with Sebastian. "I don't mean to be rude or disrespectful," she started, but Sebastian cut her off.

"Dat nevah stopped ya before, girl. And no, ya won't have ta stay here if ya don't want ta. The guest quarters is already bein' prepared for ya."

Relief flooded across her face. "I know I should be working on getting my memory back by being with…with family…"

The word felt odd on her tongue for some reason, and puzzlement and a tad of guilt swelled within her. Was it her fault that the thought of her family didn't bring her warmth, or theirs?

"Ya can speak wit' dem when ya feel like it. Dere is no rush."

"Right. Thanks."

Sebastian studied the girl thoughtfully. "I t'ink it would be useful if ya can tell me what ya _do _remember."

"Not much," she admitted. "I mean, there's you, but I didn't really know your name. Um…I know I'm in Atlantica and that the king wields a trident. Uh…" Her blue eyes narrowed as she tried to concentrate. "Well, I knew my name."

"Dat's good," said Sebastian positively.

Ariel frowned. "But that's hardly anything!"

"But it ain't nothing."

She blinked. "Yeah…yeah. It is better than nothing, I guess."

"Sebastian?"

The crustacean glanced over his shell to see a servant hovering in the entryway. "The room is ready," he said, dipping into a small bow before swimming away.

"Right den. Come on, girl. Ya should be resting."

Ariel followed him down the coral corridor. "Am I _really _a princess?"

"Ya sure are."

The redhead frowned. "But I don't _feel _like a princess."

Sebastian grinned. "Ya don't act like one, either."

"Oh. Is that good or bad?" she asked, uncertain.

"Depends on who ya talk to," he returned. "But don't worry about it. If ya don't feel like actin' a certain way, den don't do it. It means it's something ya don't do normally."

Ariel nodded. "Okay. That makes sense….I think."

They reached the guest chambers and Ariel settled into her new sea-bed. "I…I don't really know my way around the palace-" she started, but Sebastian cut her off.

"Don't worry about it, child. I'll be here when ya wake up."

Ariel tilted her head to the side. "How will you know?"

"If ya sleep habits are the same, den ya won't be sleepin' for long. Rest."

Ariel cuddled into her bed and closed her eyes.

_Horatio._

"Horatio!"

Startled, Sebastian paused in the entryway and looked at the mermaid. Her blue eyes were bright and a wide grin was on her face. "Horatio," she repeated. "Horatio Thelonious Ignacius Crustaceous Sebastian! But everyone calls you Sebastian!"

"Ya got it. See? One step at a time."

A little less worried about her damaged memory, Ariel smiled as she got into a comfortable position. Sebastian left the chambers, a soft, fond smile on his face.

She would be fine. The pieces would just have to fall naturally into place, and it would take time. But in the end, her memory would be restored, perhaps not entirely, but certainly the majority of it.

They would just have to wait.

And for Ariel, Sebastian would wait a lifetime.


	5. Friendly Faces

**I do not own the Little Mermaid franchise.**

**Hello! Just popping by to assure you this story isn't discontinued, just going to be a while before some decent progress is made. I know it's not very long, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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**Friendly Faces**

True to Sebastian's words, the fifteen-year-old woke up a few hours later. She rubbed at her blue eyes, her head pounding dully. When the sleep had left her vision she saw the familiar red sea creature waiting patiently near the entryway.

"Hi, Sebastian," she greeted sleepily. "How long were you there?"

"Only a few minutes."

"Wow. You're good."

"Dat I am. Are ya hungry?"

Ariel blinked as her stomach gave a rumble in response. "Guess I am."

"We'll get ya a bite ta eat before decidin' what ta do for the rest of de day."

They went to the dining chambers, where a small meal was spread out on one side of the long stone table. Ariel seated herself behind the food and curiously studied it. "Kelp?"

"Salad," corrected Sebastian. "Not just kelp by itself."

Though she had no recollection of what it would taste like, her senses were reacting positively, so she supposed she liked this meal. She took a cautious bite and once the flavour hit her taste buds she continued eating at a more rapid pace.

"Slow down," snapped Sebastian. "It's not gonna disappear on ya."

"It's good," said Ariel through a mouthful of food.

_"Achoo!"_

The soft, dainty sneeze caught their attention. Ariel swallowed her food and peeked behind her shoulder, where she spotted two of her sisters peering at her from around the pillar.

"Nice going," the raven-haired mergirl muttered to the blonde.

"Sorry," the blonde apologized. "I couldn't hold it in."

"Do any of ya know how ta listen ta orders?" asked Sebastian in annoyance.

"It's okay," said Ariel.

"Are you sure?" asked the raven-haired mergirl carefully. "If we're making you uncomfortable, we can leave."

"No, it's fine. I just get overwhelmed when it's all of you," admitted Ariel. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," dismissed the blonde. "We can be really overbearing."

"Especially her," muttered the other.

Ariel folded her hands in her lap. "Um…" she started, but quickly got embarrassed and trailed off.

Sebastian nudged her shoulder gently. "Go on, girl."

"I don't know your names," said Ariel softly.

"Oh," said the blonde, disheartened.

But the raven-haired one managed a smile. "Well, you do have six sisters and all of our names start with _A_. So it would be hard to remember them. I'm Alana."

"And I'm Arista."

Ariel attempted to detect some sense of familiarity, but to her frustration she couldn't find any. "Alana and Arista. Okay. I'll remember that."

"It's okay if you don't," said Alana quickly.

"Yeah," agreed Arista. "I can't remember my own name some days."

"She ain't jokin'," said Sebastian lowly, and Ariel giggled.

_"Alana! Arista!"_

"And that's the warden," said Arista in annoyance.

"Be nice ta your sister. She's only followin' orders."

"She does that a little too well if you ask me," grumbled Alana. "Listen, we gotta go. Sorry for just dropping in on you. But we wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yeah. I'm mostly fine. Thanks."

The two mergirls smiled before departing, not wanting to get caught by their elder sister. Ariel watched them go before slumping dejectedly. "I can remember you. Why can't I remember them?"

"Ya need ta be patient."

Ariel huffed. "So I keep getting told."

"And I'll keep tellin' ya until ya decide ta listen," said Sebastian. "Are ya ready ta go?"

The redhead frowned curiously. "Go where?"

"I t'ought de best t'ing ta do would be ta show ya around Atlantica."

"Oh. Okay. That sounds nice."

Ariel swam after Sebastian and out of the palace, where she could see the bustling activity of Atlanticans. "Whoa," she breathed, looking around, tilting her head up slightly so she could take in as much as she could. "It's so big."

"Stay close," ordered Sebastian. "Ya don't know your way around."

Ariel wrinkled her nose but complied, staying close to the crustacean as they took a swim around the marketplace. She stared at the various stalls selling fresh food and cute little trinkets. She studied each merchant's face and product intently, and was dismayed when she didn't feel any sense of recognition.

"Nothing is ringing a bell," she informed.

"Den enjoy de view."

"Easy for you to say. You don't have a massive gap in your memory."

"No, but dis is familiar. Ya didn't forget how ta complain."

Ariel narrowed her blue eyes. "I don't think you're supposed to take that tone with a princess."

"Don't play de royalty card, darlin'. I've known ya since de day ye were born."

"Oh." Ariel screwed her face up in thought. "And how long would that be?"

Sebastian glanced at his redheaded charge. "How long do ya t'ink?"

"Fifteen?" ventured Ariel hesitantly, as it was the first number to pop into her head.

"Ya got it. Fifteen years of madness and stress."

Ariel rolled her eyes and flipped over in the water so that she was swimming backwards. "You make me sound like a nightmare."

"Ya are."

"I need an unbiased opinion." A sudden thought struck her and she stopped swimming, floating in place with a soft frown on her lips.

Sebastian frowned and halted beside her. "What's wrong, girl?"

"Do…do I have any friends?"

"'Course ya do. Ya even got a best friend."

The relief she felt was immediately downtrodden by guilt and shame. "Some best friend I am. I don't even know who it is!"

Sebastian brushed his claw across the mergirl's forehead, easing the distraught creases that formed there. "Relax, Ari-elle. No one will be upset with ya for not rememberin'."

"If you say so," said Ariel, though her unhappy feelings didn't vanish.

They continued their swim, and when they reached the last stretch of shops in the market Sebastian paused, a smile on his face as he noticed a familiar see creature. "Well, talk about coincidences. Here he comes now."

"Who?"

"Your best friend."

Ariel immediately scanned the crowd of shoppers and her blue orbs zeroed in on a small blue and yellow tropical fish speeding towards them, an elated expression on his face.

"Ariel!" he whooped. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said with laugh as the fish cuddled in close for a hug.

"I was really scared!" he exclaimed. "When you were hit, I was like, _aagghh! _And then we went to get the healer, and then I couldn't sleep, but you're here now and everything's fine!"

"Almost fine," said Sebastian.

The fish frowned. "What do you mean?"

The crustacean looked at the fifteen-year-old pointedly. Ariel stared at her fins, frustration and forlornness welling within her. "I can't remember much of anything," she admitted softly.

"Oh." Realization suddenly dawned on him and his face fell. _"Oh."_

"I'm sorry!"

"No, no! It's okay. I mean, we only met a few days ago, so of course you wouldn't remember me."

"I don't remember much of my family either," said Ariel in a feeble attempt to make him feel better.

"I'm sure it'll come back to you," he said encouragingly. "I'm Flounder."

"Flounder," she repeated, adding another name to her currently faulty memory bank. "Okay."

"Do you wanna play?"

Ariel looked at Sebastian hopefully. The crustacean gave a slow nod. "Fine. But only for a little while."

"We can play tag!" said Flounder eagerly. "Do you remember how to play tag?"

She pretended to think. "I think it goes along the lines of…_you're it!_" She gave Flounder a quick poke, snagged Sebastian and swam off, laughing.

"Hey! You can't get away from me!"

"Ari-elle!" cried Sebastian as the girl swam through the marketplace at an alarming speed. "Slow down before ya break somet'ing!"

"There's no slowing down in tag!" Ariel countered. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned quizzically when she didn't see Flounder speeding after her. She stopped swimming and glanced around. "Hey. Where'd he go?"

Just as the words left her mouth Flounder darted out from behind a stall and tapped her arm. _"Boop! _You're it!_"_

He took off with a triumphant laugh and Sebastian glanced up at the girl in amusement. "Dere's no slowin' down in tag, eh?"

Ariel pouted. "Oh, stop it."

"Come on, slowfish!" called Flounder tauntingly. "I'm waiting!"

"Oh, you are so dead!" laughed Ariel and she hurried after him.

If there was one thing she did know, it was that she didn't like to lose. Especially when it came to games like tag.


End file.
